Page 13 of The Love Potion
“And to act as Zoe’s chaperone.”
“Yes.”
“Then believe me when I say, you have no concept of how dangerous her games have been. Last night you accused me of ruining her chances—”
“Because you cut her for no reason.”
No reason? He strangled the urge to argue that point and plunged ahead with his main one. “What you have allowed with love potions and pretending to be a stablehand? That is madness.”
She didn’t like the way he was speaking to her. Her jaw grew tight, and her expression turned hard. But she didn’t argue, and he saw a flash of uncertainty in her eyes. In the end, she tilted her head in the smallest acknowledgement. “It doesn’t matter. The Season has started now. There is no more time for visits to your stable.”
“You can be sure of it.”
The lady winced at his hard tone. “But don’t be surprised if she wants to visit your real stables. She learned a great deal about the horses at your family seat. She knows that these are just the ones brought to London for the Season. She has been desperate—”
“Her desires are not my concern,” he said coldly. “Only that her reputation does not entangle in any way with my own.” Why wouldn’t she understand? “I do not want to marry her, Miss Petrelli. She is a child. But given that she is an eligible woman of the appropriate rank, we could both be forced into a disastrous arrangement. I do not want that for either of us.”
He spoke the words forcefully, wishing he could impress upon her exactly how manipulative society could be. And how punitive, if one stepped outside of the prescribed bounds. Thehaut tonwould see nothing wrong with him marrying a child half his age provided that she was from a titled family. Which Lady Zoe was. He, on the other hand, wanted something more from his bride than a sixteen-year-old girl who thought nothing of impersonating a stable hand and blithely confessed it as if it were nothing more than a trip to a candymaker.
Fortunately, Miss Petrelli had more sense. Her gaze lowered and she nodded. “I understand your point, Your Grace.”
“Good.”
“You are more experienced in the ways of society, and I would be stupid not to listen. But I am much more versed in the management of spirited girls and of Zoe in particular. There is not a cruel bone in her body. She has energy and intelligence. It is hard for a girl such as her to be stuffed into the rigid lines set around every debutante.”
“It is your job as her chaperone to see that she is. Or I fear you will watch her get crushed when she is finally caught.” Indeed, shehadbeen caught because this was exactly the kind of gossip that Mr. Pickleherring might share. He shuddered to think what he would have to trade to Nate in order for the man to hide this particular tidbit.
“You really think it is as serious as all that?” Miss Petrelli asked.
“I do. And she will not like what happens when society finds out what she has been up to. They love nothing more than a villainous tart, and it is damned easy to create one, no matter the truth.”
Chapter Five
Kynthea and theduke headed outside to mount their horses. Zoe, naturally, looked resplendent in her blue riding habit, but more important, she looked like the incredible equestrian she was as she quickly seemed to become one with Rumble. Kynthea, however, knew she looked average in her riding habit, average in her horsemanship, and completely mundane in her demeanor.
Because she was steeped in doubt.
Had she truly risked Zoe’s reputation? She knew it was risqué for a lady like Zoe to work as a stable hand, but the girl truly was horse mad. And she’d been going crazy cooped up. She’d needed a diversion, and this had been relatively harmless. Or so Kynthea had believed.
But she hadn’t considered what a malicious gossip could do with the information. Nor had she believed that someone might use the indiscretion to force a duke into marriage. The idea was ridiculous, and yet, His Grace clearly believed it.
“Don’t look so down,” Lord Nathaniel murmured as he maneuvered his horse close to her. “Ras can be a stickler for propriety, and you caught him off guard. I’m fairly shocked myself that she’d managed to work as a stable hand and he was none the wiser.”
“But is the duke correct?” she pressed. “Could the information be truly damaging?”
“Oh yes, without a doubt.” Then he flashed her a cheeky grin. “But have no fear. She won’t be exposed by me or Ras, and if you two keep mum, then all’s well.”
All would be well if Zoe could keep quiet, and that was not something the girl was good at. Her emotions tended to overflow, and her mouth kept going long before her brain interfered. “I’ll speak with her,” she said, praying that would be enough.
“The Season will keep her busy. And besides, many men like girls with some spunk.” His gaze travelled to where Zoe clearly wanted to go faster. She was leading their party, oblivious to the fact that she was pulling ahead and would soon lose sight of them in the maze of London streets. Kynthea was about to call the girl back when a groom rode up beside the girl and gently forced her to slow down.
Clearly the duke had thought of the problem well before Kynthea, but rather than go himself, he sent a groom. Indeed, the man took up the rear of their party as if he wanted to put as much distance as possible between himself and her young charge.
She was just turning back to invite him to ride closer when he spoke, his voice carrying clearly despite the distance.
“What possessed her parents to have her come out so young?”
Well, that was a matter of some delicacy. “The Earl would like to see her settled. Her siblings are much older, married, and well into growing their nurseries. Zoe herself was an unexpected surprise long after they thought they were done with children.”
